Whale and dolphin species La Gomera
What species of whales and dolphins can you expect to see on La Gomera?
The Canary Islands are one of the few places in the world where whale and dolphin watching can be enjoyed year-round. The best time of year is spring with a probability of sighting of practically 100%, but also in the remaining months you have very good chances (around 90%) of meeting these fascinating marine mammals. But even if there is a "zero number", you should not be too disappointed, because we are talking about free and wild marine mammals - and these 92 whale and dolphin species are now known worldwide.
Around the Canary Islands 30 species have been documented so far, before La Gomera at least 24. You know that very well, because the non-profit marine protection association MEER eV documents the sightings during the individual trips and then processes this data accordingly.
Here we introduce you to the species that are most frequently spotted on the whale watching trips off La Gomera:
Indian pilot whale / pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
A pilot whale rarely comes alone! These highly social marine mammals spend their lives in close family groups. Here off La Gomera we often meet them about three nautical miles from the coast, as the water depth is right where they can find their favorite food (squid and cuttlefish). Indian pilot whales can dive to depths of over 1,000 meters at impressive speeds. Pilot whales can be spotted off La Gomera all year round.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Bottlenose dolphins in the Atlantic can grow up to four meters long and weigh up to 600 kg. Some of them can be found so close to the coast off La Gomera that they can even be seen from land. However, further out at sea you can also see bottlenose dolphins. Despite their weight, these acrobatic dolphins can jump up to six meters high - a great experience for every whale watcher! The Canary Islands bottlenose dolphins form a permanent population between the islands, so we can meet them all year round.
Atlantic spotted dolphin / rein dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
The nimble "Fleckis", as they are affectionately called here, are the favorites of many tour guests. They are very open to boats and often swim in their bow waves, much to the delight of the guests on board. With a maximum size of just over two meters, they belong to the smaller dolphin species. Young spotted dolphins do not yet have any spots, as you can see in the photo of mother and baby. In summer we meet the spotted dolphins a little less than in the other months.
Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Common dolphins can be recognized by their hourglass-shaped pattern on the sides. The front part is yellow, the rear part gray. They are mostly found off La Gomera in groups of 20 to 40 individuals between winter and early summer, so they show a pronounced seasonality in their occurrence. They are usually quite nimble, but occasionally swim with the bow wave.
Rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)
Rough-toothed dolphins are sighted less often than bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins or common dolphins. So they could not be researched so far. Its "flat forehead" and the synchronous swimming style are characteristic. They are dark gray in color, but the belly is light with white and pink spots. As far as behavior is concerned, rough-toothed dolphins have it all: they can be very shy, but they can also interact with the boats with curiosity and show jumps. Sightings of rough-toothed dolphins are irregularly distributed over the year.
Blue and white dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
Of the dolphin species that occur off La Gomera, the blue and white dolphin , sometimes also called the striped dolphin, is probably the most difficult to observe. You have to be careful not to lose sight of them again. These fast, little dolphins rarely approach the boats. Interestingly, this is different in the Mediterranean, where this species is considered to be very curious.
Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Bryde's whales are the most commonly sighted large whales off La Gomera. They live all year round in tropical or subtropical waters and can be up to 16.5 meters long. They are usually found alone or in mother-calf pairs. The best time to see Bryde's whales off La Gomera is in spring and summer. To clearly identify a Bryde's whale, you need a good view of the head. There are three head bars that are typical of the species (the otherwise similar looking sei whales only have one).
Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)
A beaked whale sighting is something very special, albeit rarely spectacular. These deep-diving marine mammals spend less than ten percent of their time on the water surface and are therefore rarely sighted. Blainville's beaked whales are gray to brown in color on the back, the underside is lighter. They can have yellow-brown or gray-white spots all over their bodies.
Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris)
Like the Blainville beaked whales, Cuvier beaked whales are rarely seen. This species is the world record holder in deep diving among mammals: the deepest dive documented to date is almost 3,000 meters. Cuvier's beaked whales grow up to seven meters long. Their bodies are often covered with scars, among other things, from bites by cigar sharks and, in older males, from fights with conspecifics.
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Sperm whales are not only impressive because of their size (up to 18 meters!), You can also see them from a great distance: their blow (the fountain of warm air) goes obliquely to the front left - not vertically upwards, as is the case with other large whales. There is a resident population of sperm whales between the north of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but the giants of the seas can occasionally be seen off La Gomera as well.
Sustainable & respectful whale watching with the provider Oceano Gomera
It could not be more authentic!
Oceano Gomera has stood for gentle and respectful whale watching on La Gomera for over 15 years. In cooperation with the M.E.E.R. e.V. we record sighting data during the trips and evaluate them later.
You will go out to sea in an authentic Canarian fishing boat to observe the marine mammals. You can't get any closer to the animals!
There is a maximum of 10 guests per excursion, so it will be a unique experience for everyone. The trip lasts 3-4 hours and the sighting rates are according to Oceano between 80-90% - seen over the year.
About the author - Ulla Christina Ludewig
Ulla Christina Ludewig has been campaigning for the protection of whales and dolphins for over 20 years, and has also been working full-time at WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) for 10 years. As part of her work on La Gomera (at OCEANO Whale Watching ), she regularly gives lectures about the whale and dolphin world off the small Canary Island and has been involved with MEER eV , OCEANO's scientific partner, for some time. Ulla describes herself as "addicted to rivers" (I can confirm!) And so it is not surprising that she has already traveled to some countries in the world in search of whales and dolphins.
In addition to the species mentioned above, these other whales and dolphins have so far been spotted off La Gomera:
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Borneo dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
Gervais beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus)
Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Northern duck whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)
Northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps)
Round-headed dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Killer whale ( Orcinus orca)
Sei whale ( Balaenoptera borealis)
True-beaked whale ( Mesoplodon mirus)
Little killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
Information on all whale and dolphin species can be found in the WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) species guide .
